There are a number of artery clamps that are in the form of bands that wrap around a limb of a patient. One example of such an artery clamp is U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,846 which issued to Mers Kelly et al. in 1988. The Mers Kelly reference discloses a pressure member mounted on a band. The tighter the band member is secured to the limb of the patient, the greater the clamping force exerted upon the artery by the pressure member. Another example of such an artery clamp is U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,996 which issued to Blair in 1994. The Blair reference discloses a semi-spherical pressure member mounted on a band. In one embodiment, the semi-spherical pressure member has a spring that can be preadjusted to control the amount of pressure applied. In another embodiment, a pulse indicator rod is built into the pressure member. Pulsing of the artery effects pulsing of the indicator rod.
Artery clamping bands are a convenient way of applying arterial pressure. The problem with the arterial clamping bands, as described above, is that they are not sensitive enough for use in the applications for which they would otherwise be best suited. The pressure is controlled primarily by how tightly the band is secured to the patient's limb.